12 Simple Productivity Habits to Help You Thrive at Work

By

Andreas Jones

Hey! I’m Andreas Jones and I am the founder of KindaFrugal.com. I’m passionate about all things personal finance, side hustles, making extra money, and lifestyle businesses. I have been featured in major publications such as Forbes, Entrepreneur On Fire, Lifehack.org, Influencive and Goalcast.

| Published on February 28, 2024

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Forming good work habits is the best way to boost your productivity. These powerful habits will help you easily focus and work through extensive projects. It all comes down to your work ethic and ability to concentrate. Minimizing distractions is essential, but you can implement many other strategies too.

Here, we will look at 12 fantastic productivity habits you can adopt, plus a few bonuses to help you become a productivity master.

Apply the 80/20 Rule to Your Projects

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What is now known as the 80/20 rule or the 80/20 principle is one of the most powerful productivity tips. Originally called the Pareto principle and named after the Italian engineer who discovered the connection, it states that 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts.

In other words, identify the most valuable skills or type of work essential to your business and focus on them. That way, no matter what life throws at you, you always know the most vital work to focus on to ensure you’re making meaningful progress. 

Know Your Best Work Conditions

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What conditions are necessary for you to reach a state of deep work? Make a list of these conditions and surround yourself with them. This is a repeatable process, and you should create shortcuts to it. This way, you will find yourself more often in a productive state.

Start Your Day as a Maker

Simple Productivity Habits to Help You Thrive at Work
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This is another great productivity hack that you can adopt. The idea is simple: when you get up in the morning, focus on doing or making something productive rather than being a consumer.

Even small or simple actions are enough to put you in a productive state of mind.

Rather than go through your social media or waste 20 precious morning minutes mindlessly watching YouTube videos, try making your bed, preparing a healthy breakfast, or planning your day. 

Reduce the Number of Decisions That You Have to Make

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  • What are you going to have for breakfast?
  • What are you going to wear to work?
  • When are you going to take your first break?

You should know the answers to these questions when your day starts.

The more consistency and regularity you add to your day, the more mental capacity you have to focus on important decisions. This way, you won’t waste your energy on inconsequential choices.

Allow Yourself 3-4 Mail Checks Daily

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Email is one of those things that can kill your productivity, especially if you always have it open in a tab. Don’t become a compulsive email responder. Communication is essential, but too much can distract and drain your time.

Settle for 3 or 4 mail checks in your workday and leave it at that. For example, once you get to the office, after your lunch break, and before you leave work. You might even consider setting a timer to help track the time you spend reviewing messages. 

Make Health a Priority in Your Life

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Office workers have had a bad reputation for not looking after their health for years. Combine all the negative health consequences of working a stationary job, and the results are disastrous.

But staying healthy with a sedentary job is possible. From how you set up your desk to taking regular breaks, eating nutritiously, and even practicing a little chair yoga, you can do many simple things to stay healthy and productive. 

Manage Your Energy

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When you prioritize your health, you may already feel more energized and productive. That is great, but don’t let the benefits stop there. Take a look at the activities and habits that drain your energy. Go beyond your physical state and think of your mental and emotional energy. 

Figure out what things energize you and help you refocus. Small breaks, a perfectly timed coffee break, morning fasting, high protein meals. Experiment until you find what works for you and stick to it.

Spend Time Reading, Thinking, and Planning

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You can do things outside of deep work that can help you boost your productivity. Use this time to “sharpen the blade,” as they say.

Read materials related to your work, think about how you can improve at what you do, and plan as best you can. Trade magazines, online articles, books, podcasts, and videos are all great resources to help you reach your goals. But, choose your sources wisely and always manage your time accordingly. 

Forget About Perfection

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People who define themselves as perfectionists often find themselves in a vicious cycle. Don’t be the kind of person who starts something and then overthinks the very first steps of the process, wasting time and valuable energy.

As they say, Rome was not built in a day. Sometimes, it’s best just to get started and then go back to ponder the details. 

Have a Morning Routine

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Set yourself up for a productive day with a morning routine. If possible, try getting out of bed an hour early.

However, don’t be tempted to check your email. Instead, focus on yourself. You can use this time to exercise, read some relevant materials, or fix yourself a healthy breakfast. If it’s sunny outside, you can go out for some precious vitamin D.

Use this precious time to do meaningful things for yourself, like working out, reading quality content, or fixing a healthy breakfast. Whatever you do, don’t let yourself be tempted to check your email. Focus on doing positive and productive things that tend to fall to the bottom of your priority list. 

Write Down Your Ideas

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Do you know how you always get the best ideas at random moments and places? Like, while in the shower or waiting in an elevator? Don’t let these sparks of inspiration go to waste. 

Start writing those ideas down on your phone, or always carry a tiny notebook with you. Review the list at the end of the week and identify which items are usable.

Plan Your Day Around Your Productive Time

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Productivity is not about being in a state of peak performance every single day. It’s about maximizing your efforts most efficiently to achieve the best output. Most people are naturally more productive at certain times of the day. 

So, once you know your most productive times of the day, do your most valuable work at that time and plan the rest of your day around those blocks. Like setting a morning routine, it is also important to consider what you do outside your most productive periods. Often, the things done between peak periods significantly impact your ability to do deep work the next day. 

12 Assertive Ways to Respond When Your Boss Ignores You

Man suffering from toxic environment at work
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One of the more concerning realizations you could make at work is that your boss ignores you. They don’t respond to your emails or DMs or have time to talk to you in person. So, why is your boss ignoring you all of a sudden? Could it be that they are angry at you for some reason? Do they no longer value you as a professional and an employee? Or are they simply too busy to respond to you? But one crucial thing to remember is that every situation is unique, so the resolution to your situation might come from one or several of the steps outlined below. Whatever their lack of attentiveness, we have twelve tips to help you determine the best course of action to restore the lines of communication.

12 Assertive Ways to Respond When Your Boss Ignores You

Complete Guide to Contacting Recruiters on LinkedIn

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With hundreds of millions of users worldwide, LinkedIn is a vast network with potential professional connections, making it an invaluable resource for job seekers and companies. However, crafting a compelling message can sometimes feel daunting, especially if you have little experience.

In this article, we’ll explore the art of messaging recruiters on LinkedIn, providing you with expert tips and strategies to maximize your impact and increase your chances of getting hired.

Complete Guide to Contacting Recruiters on LinkedIn

So, once you know your most productive times of the day, do your most valuable work at that time and plan the rest of your day around those blocks. Like setting a morning routine, it is also important to consider what you do outside your most productive periods. Often, the things done between peak periods significantly impact your ability to do deep work the next day. 


12 Assertive Ways to Respond When Your Boss Ignores You


Man suffering from toxic environment at work
Image Credit: Shutterstock.

One of the more concerning realizations you could make at work is that your boss ignores you. They don’t respond to your emails or DMs or have time to talk to you in person. So, why is your boss ignoring you all of a sudden? Could it be that they are angry at you for some reason? Do they no longer value you as a professional and an employee? Or are they simply too busy to respond to you? But one crucial thing to remember is that every situation is unique, so the resolution to your situation might come from one or several of the steps outlined below. Whatever their lack of attentiveness, we have twelve tips to help you determine the best course of action to restore the lines of communication.


12 Assertive Ways to Respond When Your Boss Ignores You


Complete Guide to Contacting Recruiters on LinkedIn


Image Credit: Shutterstock.

With hundreds of millions of users worldwide, LinkedIn is a vast network with potential professional connections, making it an invaluable resource for job seekers and companies. However, crafting a compelling message can sometimes feel daunting, especially if you have little experience.



In this article, we’ll explore the art of messaging recruiters on LinkedIn, providing you with expert tips and strategies to maximize your impact and increase your chances of getting hired.


Complete Guide to Contacting Recruiters on LinkedIn

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